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Friday, 11 March 2011

A Book By Its Cover

I've decided to feature every Friday a cover that I particularly like. I'll also try my best to explain why so. I got the idea from this amazing website The Book Cover Archive. Isn't it amazing?There's something about covers. They drawn the eye, while you're browsing in a bookshop. They can tell you everything or nothing about the story inside - it really depends on the ego of the designer -, and sometimes they visually force you to approach the book.At least that's what happens to me, all the time. I love browsing bookshops, especially the little, second-hands one near Bloomsbury. They're a magical place I want to get lost in, and very dangerous when it comes to my finances. I could spend hours, zig-zaging among the piles and tables of books in these tiny, crowded, dusty shops. At the end I will always come out with bags full of volumes written by authors I never even ever heard of!First the cover catches my attention; the colours, the typefonts, the images... Then it's the synopsis usually at the back that seals the deal. What I really, really hate is when the jacket is covered up in quotes and praises for the author, without leaving any space at all for the content of the book!So, yes, I tend to judge the book by its cover , at first, but then I obviously need to have a general idea of the storyline. I'm kind of fussy when it comes to what I read, and I avoid some topics like hell. Unless I know and like the author.

This week winner, and first of the Friday A Book By Its Cover series is Time's Legacy by Barbara Erskine.

I haven't read the story, yet, but it sounds pretty fascinating. You can read the synopsis HERE.Here are what I think are the strong points of this jacket:

The colours are beautiful. The combination of that turquoise, green, white and black gives a very exotic feel to it. This is also given by the amazing bird and flowers/leaves on the upper and lower corners.

The black, smudged frame makes it almost look like we're spying the scene from a space in a garden wooden fence. It's like looking inside a secret garden, with all its beautiful creatures and vegetation.

The perfect typeface for the title. It's like written with an old stylo - I absolutely love them! - it gives it that old, magic effect.

The author's name is nicely centred and the dimension is just right, even though I tend to prefer a bigger title, than a bigger author's name! I also like that yellowish colour; it just blends in perfectly with the rest of the artwork.